Head of the Independence Movement describes two-third quorum as fad, says a conciliatory president is one who defends state institutions

Head of the Independence Movement Michel Moawad said the lack of quorum is an attempt to undermine the status of the presidency.

“March 8 forces are resorting to the same obstruction strategy that they have adopted to block several previous key constitutional events,” Moawad told the Abjad-news website.

March 14 forces should relinquish the two-third quorum that March 8 parties insist is needed to elect a new president, Moawad added.

“The constitution doesn’t stipulate in any of its articles that a two-third quorum is required to hold the presidential poll. If the March 14 alliance succumbs to this condition, it risks the election of a weak president with no political stances,” Moawad added.

A conciliatory president is one who defends state institutions which unite the Lebanese around common values and principles, Moawad said when asked whether Free Patriotic Movement leader Michel Aoun could represent a consensus candidate.

“Therefore any candidate that considers himself to be conciliatory should support state institutions and defend the sovereignty of the state in line with the Baabda Declaration against any illegitimate weapons ,” Moawad explained.

For the March 14 alliance to consider Aoun as a conciliatory candidate, he must first announce his presidential platform which should clearly state his support for state institutions exclusively, Moawad said.

“The disagreement is not over the names but rather over the principles that a conciliatory candidate should uphold. What is a conciliatory platform? Can we reconcile between Hezbollah’s weapons and strong state institutions?” Moawad asked.

“President Michel Sleiman, who was elected as a consensus head of state is today being accused by Hezbollah and its allies of taking sides with the March 14 alliance only because he chose to defend the authority of the state and its institutions,” Moawad argued.

Any future president should be able to initiate dialogue between the March 14 and the March 8 camps but at the same time should be committed to defending state institutions and implementing the Baabda Declaration, he added.

Moawad described the presidential race as a key event which outcome will shape the future of Lebanon. “It is practically a race between preserving Lebanon’s sovereignty and transforming the country into a battlefield for regional powers.”

The presidential poll shouldn’t represent an occasion to stir memories of Lebanon’s civil war or recall the names of martyrs in an arbitrary way, Moawad added in reference to ballots including the names of martyrs cast by lawmakers of the March 8 coalition during the first session to elect a president.

“Those who brought up the names of martyrs during the presidential poll did so in arbitrary way, ignoring the assassination Kamal Jumblatt, Rene Moawad and all martyrs of the Cedar Revolution…Those who are protecting individuals accused of involvement in former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri’s assassination aren’t entitled to give lessons in morality,” Moawad said.

In order to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, March 14 parties should remain united, Moawad added, urging parties within the alliance to review its management framework and its mechanisms of decision-making.

“There is a need to restructure the alliance based on partnership between its components since attempts by some parties to have monopoly over decision-making had a negative impact on March 14 supporters.”

Moawad said his meeting with Aoun was aimed at promoting dialogue with rival political parties in an attempt to distance them from Hezbollah and encourage them to endorse the same principles of the March 14 alliance.

Moawad also stressed the strength of his alliance with the Lebanese Forces, denying claims of a rift that followed the elections of the Orders of Engineers in north Lebanon.